The Tokyo Mew Mew Saga: Love's Legend
by andichosefreedom
Summary: Amaya Nikini never asked to be this way. After her parents were killed and her sister sent to the hospital, she longed to live a normal life living alone with her pet fox Aja-chan. But her past has caught up to her. She can no longer run. Drama, tears and love-interests collide, and that's all before dinner rush! Welcome to Cafe Mew Mew! Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TOKYO MEW MEW
1. Amaya Nikini

"Ah!" you yelped, bolting upright in bed. You gasped and panted, feeling your heart pounding in your chest. You placed a hand to your heart and forced yourself to settle down, breathing deeply. "Just a bad dream," you told yourself. You'd been having recurring dreams for a while and they were getting increasingly vivid every time you had it. You always woke up with a start.

Calmed, you sighed and pushed the covers back. You climbed out of bed and stretched, feeling the soreness in your muscles unbind. You took a quick glance at the digital clock on the night stand beside your bed. It was almost 9:00am. "Time to visit Neechan!" you cheered. You dashed to the window and pulled the curtains back, letting the bright morning light flood in. You pushed the window open and inhaled the sweet air.

Smiling cheerfully, you skipped to the bathroom to brush your hair and teeth.

Name: Amaya Nikini

Age: 15

Looks: Long red hair with side bangs, one brown eye, one bright blue, pale skin, very skinny, average height, below average weight

About You: Your mother and father died in a fire caused by a Chimera animal. You live with your pet fox Aja in a small apartment. Your ten-year-old sister stays in the hospital. You like music, and play the guitar. You're a bit klutzy and shy, but very cheerful.

After finishing up in the bathroom, you dashed to the front hall and pulled your jacket off the hook on the back of the door. As you slipped into it, you felt something tickle your leg. You looked down. It was your pet fox, Aja. She was rubbing up against your leg like a cat. You smiled and scratched her behind the ears. "Be good while I'm gone, okay Aja?" You stepped into your shoes, tapped your toe onto the floor twice and opened the door, locking it behind you.

"Good morning, Amaya-chan."

You looked up. An elderly woman was standing in the doorway of the apartment adjacent to yours. You smiled. "Good morning, Nadeshiko-san," you chirped, putting your key back into your jacket pocket. Nadeshiko was the old woman living next to you. She was kind and sweet. She'd been living there since before you came. When you first moved in, Nadeshiko brought you a house warming gift and told you to come by if you ever needed anything. Since then you and Nadeshiko had been good friends and you saw each other every morning.

"Are you visiting your sister this morning, Amaya-chan?" she asked.

You nodded. "Yes, she's well enough for visitors today so I thought I'd stop by and cheer her up a little bit," you explained.

The old woman smiled. "That's very kind of you. Hold on, let me give you something," she said, disappearing back into her apartment. You blinked, wondering what she was doing. However you waited patiently until she returned with a small bag in her hand, tied together at the top with a nice purple ribbon. "Give these to your sister. They're shortbread – her favorite."

You smiled and took the cookies. "Thanks! I'll be sure to get them to her."

"Have fun today, and be careful," she said, waving goodbye.

You smiled and waved, walking down the hallway. "Thanks, Nadeshiko-san. Bye!"

Mamaya had just woken up when you arrived at the hospital. She was still a little lethargic when you walked in and it took her a while to regain full consciousness. The nurse was taking her temperature and giving her some medicine. You walked in and smiled. "Good morning, Neechan," you said cheerfully.

Mamaya looked up at you with sleepy eyes and smiled tiredly. "Morning," she mumbled. "You're up super early. Did Aja-chan bite you to wake you up or something?"

You huffed. "Very funny, Neechan. I just ended up waking up early." You remembered the cookies and held them out toward her. "Nadeshiko-san made these for you. They're your favorite – shortbread!"

She looked down at the cookies in your hand and took them. "Nadeshiko-san? You mean the old lady living next to you?" she asked. "How does she know my favorite cookies?"

You smiled. "Because I told her, silly!"

She smiled in return. "Well tell her thanks, I guess. I'll eat them later. Right now I'm not supposed to eat for a few hours," she explained, setting the cookies onto the table next to her bed.

You frowned, sitting in a chair next to your sister's bedside. "More blood tests? I thought you already had some done earlier this week . . ." you said worriedly.

Mamaya shrugged. "Apparently there was something wrong with the last one. Matsumiya says she needs to be sure that the results come back properly. But she said not to worry about it and that she'll call you if there's something up."

You sighed. "All right . . ."

Mamaya smiled. "It's all right. I'm sure it was just the machines and stuff that screwed it up."

You smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right," you agreed, but you were still worried sick. _Neechan must be even more worried than me, though. I have to cheer her up and make her feel like everything will definitely be all right. That's what I'm here for. I'll stay by her, no matter what._

The rest of the day was followed by games and conversation about home life. You mostly just talked about how much you missed each other being around, and all the times you remembered spending together back at the old house with your parents. You two were having so much fun that time flew right by. Soon it was time for you to go home.

"I'll come back next weekend if I can, okay Neechan?" you said, slipping back into your jacket.

Mamaya smiled and nodded. "Okay. Remember to say thanks to Nadeshiko for me. And say hi to Aja-chan for me, too."

You smiled. "I will," you promised. "Good night, Neechan. Sleep well."

Mamaya nodded. "Night."

You left, closing the door behind you. As you made your way down the hall, you stopped at the desk in the front lobby. "Matsumiya-sensei?"

A young looking doctor with short blonde hair and blue eyes looked up and smiled when she saw you. "Oh, hello Amaya-chan. You're going home now?"

You nodded. "Yes, but . . . Is Mamaya going to be okay?" you murmured quietly.

She blinked.

"She was really pale today, from not eating . . . When she finally was able to eat, she could hardly finish her food. Her burns are starting to bother her again, and her eyes look really sleepy. She's usually full of energy and greets me with a snide remark and a punch in the shoulder or something but today she just smiled. I'm scared . . . She's not acting like herself. I want her back . . . The _real_ her," you muttered, tears rushing down your cheeks.

The doctor stood and leaned over her desk, wiping your tears away. "Don't worry, Amaya-chan. I'll do everything I can to make sure you get her back. I'm sure she'll recover soon. Till then, just work on cheering her up whenever you can and putting a smile on her face."

You sighed heavily and nodded, sniffling. You wiped the tears from your face and looked up at her. "Thanks. I'll try."

"Good girl," she said, smiling. "Now you hurry home. It's getting late and Aja-chan will be getting hungry soon. I'll call you as soon as something happens over here."

You nodded and thanked her once more, then left. You shivered. It was getting a little cold. The air was chilly and nipped at your bare legs. You walked down the street quickly, anxious to get home and get under the blankets.

_"Nyan!"_

You blinked and looked down. A small cat with grey fur and blue eyes and a green scarf was looking up at you. He blinked and meowed again. You smiled and knelt down, scratching him behind the ears. "You sure are cute. Where's your owner, little guy? Go home before you freeze your little paws off."

_"Nyan!"_ the cat meowed again.

You gushed. "Kya, you're so cute! I love animals, they're so adorable." You scratched the cat's back and watched cheerfully as it purred. "Too bad I can't take you home. Aja-chan would be furious if I brought home another pet. And I guess your owners would miss you a ton, too. You really should be returning to them, you know."

The cat meowed once more, then it stood and dashed off into the bushes. You watched it go and stood, smiling. "What a cutie."

_Grooouuuww!_

You held your stomach. "I guess I'm hungry . . ." you muttered. You looked around. "Hmm . . . Somewhere to eat . . ." You walked a little further down the street, searching for a place to eat. Finally, you found a small café with a grassy archway and pink walls. You gushed. "Cute!" you chirped. Your stomach growled again. "All right. Decision made!" You walked toward the café and opened the door. When you did, a wave of smells filled your nose. You practically melted. It smelt of cocoa and vanilla and fruits and chocolate. _And it's so warm in here!_

A young girl in an orange uniform sprang out in front of you, smiling. "Welcome to Café Mew Mew!" she cheered. "Please come this way to your table na no da!"

You followed her. She was younger than you, maybe by two or three years. You couldn't believe someone younger than you was working at a café. Maybe she was poor like you? you wondered.

The girl led you to a small table and handed you a menu as you sat down. "My name is Pudding na no da! What would you like to order?" she asked cheerfully.

You looked down at the menu and searched. "Hmm . . . I guess I'll have a slice of angel food cake and some tea."

She nodded and took the menu back from you. "Coming right up, na no da!" she chirped, and off she went.

You smiled and watched her go. After she disappeared, you sighed. "It's so weird having a younger girl wait on you . . ." you murmured. You looked out the window and up at the sky. It was snowing delicately. Little white flakes floated freely down from the clouds, melting as they made contact with the ground. You sighed. _Pretty . . ._ you thought.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard someone scream loudly. You jumped and looked up. A girl with red hair and a red uniform was holding a tray of food in each hand and losing her balance. If she fell, all the food on the trays would go down with her. You hurriedly stood and took one tray in one hand and balanced her with the other. "Are you okay?" you asked, helping her back onto her feet.

The girl blew a sigh of relief and slumped. "Thanks so much! That could've come out of my paycheck," she sighed. She turned to face you and smiled. "I seriously owe you one."

You grinned. "That's all right. I couldn't just sit there and watch you fall," you replied.

She turned and pointed to another girl in a blue uniform with black hair, sipping daintily at a cup of tea in one of the booths. "She would," she scoffed.

"ICHIGO! What are you doing?! Making the customers work while you slack off?!" came an angry voice from behind you. You looked over your shoulder. A boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes was storming toward you and the girl whose name was apparently Ichigo. He looked older than you, somewhere in his mid-teens. If he wasn't so angry, he would certainly look attractive.

Ichigo fumed at him. "Shiro-GANE!" she growled.

You stood there frantically and interjected them. "Wait! Don't fight! She's not slacking, she was just tripping so I helped her before she dropped everything. Don't get angry!" you interrupted, trying to avoid causing a scene. People around you were already beginning to stare.

The boy called Shirogane looked at you as if just noticing you there. He looked you over and gave you a bizarre stare, making you shiver. He sighed and disregarded you. "Fine, if you say so." And with that, he walked off and returned to the room behind the kitchen.

You huffed. "What was that? He totally looked at me like I was a piece of meat," you fumed. You turned back to Ichigo. "Good thing I got you out of that one, too. Was that jerk your boss?" you asked.

She nodded. "One of them. Anyway, I never got your name."

"Oh s-sorry," you stammered. "I'm Amaya Nikini." You shook her hand when she offered it to you with your free hand.

She smiled. "I'm Ichigo Momomiya. Anyway it looks like Pudding is bringing your order over. I'll let you get to your food. Thanks again for saving my butt back there," she said. She took the tray from you and brought it to another table across the room. You blinked, standing there like an idiot. _That was odd_.

"Here's your order, na no da!" a high pitched voice sang behind you. You turned. Pudding was setting your cake and tea onto the table. You smiled and sat. "Thanks," you said. She smiled and walked off, letting you focus on your food.

It was late when you finished and began to leave. The sky was completely black and the full moon shone brightly. After paying for your food, you stood and left. Shutting the door, you looked back over your shoulder. Ichigo, Pudding and three other girls in coloured uniforms were sitting around a table, laughing and chatting. You couldn't help but think of your family, when you all sat around the dinner table making jokes and laughing together. It'd been so long, you couldn't even remember what it was like to not eat alone anymore.

You felt tears come to your eyes, but you wiped them away immediately. You walked off toward your apartment building. Aja would be hungry and waiting for you. She was probably whining at the door for someone to feed her. You shoved your hands inside your pockets as you kept walking. The air was still chilly. You wished you hadn't worn a skirt today.

_SNAP!_

You froze. Slowly, you looked down. You hadn't stepped on anything that would snap. You listened closely to the sounds around you. You heard something like low-pitched cackling. You gasped and turned warily toward the sound behind you and stopped when you saw it. There, standing in front of you, was your biggest nightmare. Your childhood fears: the Chimera animal that killed your parents and sent your sister to the hospital.

The scaly creature darted for you. It happened so fast, you couldn't even register what was happening fast enough to move. It hit you hard in the gut, throwing you against the brick wall 10 feet behind you. You slammed into it, collapsing onto the ground. You moaned in pain. You could feel something warm coming out of your back. You were beginning to lose consciousness.

"Once again for the world`s future, I am at your service – nyan!"

You looked up. On top of one of the buildings above you, you saw five figures standing against the white light of the moon. "I-Ichigo-san . . ?" you muttered.

A tall girl in purple with wolf ears and a tail grabbed you and jumped, landing on top of a taller building above. "Are you all right?"

You moaned, but you couldn't say anymore. You were slipping out of consciousness fast.

"Reborn Strawberry Surprise!"

You looked up. The Chimera animal was gone. You were on the ground again. The last thing you remembered before losing consciousness was seeing Shirogane's face and then feeling a sharp sting in your side. Then you fell asleep.

"Shirogane! Why'd you do that?! She didn't do anything wrong!" you heard Ichigo's voice yelling.

"Relax," Shirogane's exasperated voice replied. "It's just so she doesn't remember anything when she wakes up, all right?"

"Hey, she's waking up now na no da!"

You moaned in pain as it washed over you. "Oh, my back . . ." you muttered, sitting up weakly. You slowly opened your eyes and let them adjust to the lighting. As your vision cleared, you saw Ichigo, Pudding, Shirogane, the three girls you saw in the café earlier and an older boy with dark brown hair and eyes. You shook the cobwebs from your mind.

"Amaya-chan, are you okay? We found you passed out and brought you back to the café . . ." Ichigo started to say.

You interrupted her. "What?! No way! Don't play that with me! I saw everything! That jerk blond kid totally knocked me out with something! Where is he? Let me at him!" you snapped.

"You mean me?"

You looked up and to your left. He was standing there, his arms crossed. You huffed and glared at him. "Yes you! Who do you think you are, shooting me with that thing? I could've been allergic to something in that, or you could have hit an important vein! You shouldn't do that to people! If you try it again, you'll be so sorry even Tokyo Mew Mew won't be able to save you!"

He blinked and held his hands up, backing up warily. You looked at the girls suspiciously. "And you know what else? You all look like the striking image of Tokyo Mew Mew! And I could swear I heard Ichigo's voice back there, too!"

They sweat dropped, but said nothing. They were holding their breath, staying silent. You huffed. Evidently they weren't going to tell you a thing. It was late and you were tired. At the moment you just wanted to get home to Aja and sleep. You stormed off toward the door, but you stopped when you stepped on something. You looked down at the floor and moved your foot. Frowning, you bent over and picked it up. It was a small bundle of grey fur. _Cat fur . . ._ you thought. You turned toward the blond boy and dashed over, staring into his eyes. His face got a little red, but you ignored it. _His eyes . . . They match!_

You pointed at Shirogane in horror. "Your eyes . . . They look so . . ." His face got redder. "So much like the cat's I was petting earlier today!" you cried.

He let out a sigh of relief as his face returned to its normal colour. "Stray cats always find their way in here. It was probably the stray we had just this morning," he said, crossing his arms impatiently.

You scoffed and put your hands on your hips. "Then how do you explain having matching eyes? Unless there's some kitty clone out there, but even that'll take a lot of explaining, Mister! You might as well just tell me, because I'm not moving from this spot until you do!" you demanded, stomping your foot on the ground.

Shirogane blinked and poked you, pushing you backward. You stepped back from your spot and huffed. "You get the point, okay?!" you retorted, pushing him back.

Ichigo sighed. "It's the only way, Shirogane. We might as well tell her. If things don't work out, we'll figure something out," she said.

Shirogane looked at Ichigo, who stared him down. He sighed. "Fine, but you're explaining," he said, sitting down on the couch. He stayed like that for the entire explanation they gave you.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. The girls are Tokyo Mew Mew? But where do you come into all of this?" you asked, pointing at Shirogane and the dark-haired boy sitting next to him on the couch. Like Shirogane, he'd stayed silent while Ichigo explained the entire story.

"Amaya, Shirogane-kun created the Mew Mews. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here," one of the girls with dark green hair and long braided plaits explained gently. You looked at her and blinked. Sensing your confusion, Ichigo smiled. "Amaya-chan, this is Lettuce, Mint and Zakuro-san. And that's Akasaka-kun," she explained.

Shirogane continued as if the introductions never happened. "Amaya, you said your parents died a while ago, right?" he asked, staring at you studiously.

You blinked, fidgeting a little. "Well, yeah . . ."

"How'd they die?"

Your head tilted to the side as you curiously gave him a weird stare. Why was he asking? He just stared at you the same way, looking at you mysteriously. You found it somewhat captivating. He was looking straight into your eyes.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

You huffed. "Well maybe if you'd stop distracting me," you retorted.

He lifted his eyebrow. "Excuse me?" he muttered.

You crossed your arms and looked away stubbornly, feeling your face get hot. "You're distracting me. Stop staring at my eyes. It's hard to concentrate when you're gazing at me like that," you explained, hoping you didn't sound too creepy.

"Oh. Sorry," he stammered.

"Anyway, I was with a friend when I got a phone call from my little sister. She said one of my father's experiments went wrong and that it attracted a Chimera animal. The house caught fire and my parents were burnt alive. My sister was able to escape with a few wounds. The experiment was somehow restored and sent to one of my dad's friends for completion-"

"What was it called?!" Shirogane interrupted, urgency in his voice.

You blinked. "P-Project 13 5 23. It seemed like he picked the numbers at random. That's what he told me when I asked, anyway . . . Why are you asking?" you muttered.

Shirogane's face was no longer filled with patience. It was something else now. But what? Wonder? Awe? Something along the lines of that. He looked at you with those eyes, and you suddenly blushed. "W-what?" you stammered.

"Don't you get it?" he said. "Project 13 5 23. The thirteenth letter of the alphabet is M. The fifth is E. And the 23rd . . ."

"Is W!" everyone said in unison.

You blinked, feeling stupid. "Um . . . What?"

"Amaya-chan, the numbers all represent letters in the English alphabet! M-E-W spells Mew. Like Mew Mew. The project your father was working on was the same project my father was finishing. The Mew Project!" Shirogane explained.

You jumped. "H-hold on! Y-you're Ryou Shirogane?!"

Pudding blinked. "I'm lost na no da . . ."

"My father was the famous Dr. Nikini. He started Project 13 5 23. After he tested it on me, he announced to the media that it would the future's only hope. He told everyone that his project would save the world. He-"

"Wait, back up. Your own dad tested his scientific project on his daughter?" Mint interrupted.

"Wouldn't that make you a Mew Mew?" Lettuce asked.

You blushed. "Well . . ."

"What is it, Amaya-chan?" asked Shirogane. You felt his warm hand on your shoulder. The touch made you gasp and jump in surprise. He recoiled like he'd been burnt.

"S-s-sorry," you stammered. "I just usually don't really talk about it."

"If you don't want to talk about it . . ." Akasaka murmured.

You shook your head and smiled meekly. "It's all right. After the fire burnt down my house, I had no one else left in the family. The police wanted me to go into foster care so that someone could adopt me. But, someone else disagreed with it. So I was sent to live with a friend of the family. I was sent . . . to your house," you said, looking up at Shirogane.

Shirogane's eyes were wider than they'd ever been. He blinked for a moment, letting it sink in. "Wh-what?! But . . . I don't even remember ever seeing you around the house . . . How long were you there? How much did you see?!" he stammered.

You rolled your eyes and laughed. "Relax. It's not like I creeped on you. I wasn't there for long. Only a year. Your dad never mentioned me because, well, he didn't really like me much. He kept me as far away from you as possible because he was anxious of me getting involved with you. He thought I was really weird. He knew my dad tested the project on me too, so he wanted me as far away as he could."

Shirogane looked down. "I didn't know my father was so awful to you . . ."

You smiled. "Don't worry, it's okay. Your mom made up for it. She was really nice. She's most of the reason why I was able to survive on my own for so long," you explained cheerfully. You went quiet, your bangs covering your eyes. "And . . . She reminded me of my own mother."

Suddenly you heard a faint sniffle. You looked up to see Ichigo wiping her eyes. You blinked. "Ichigo-san, are you . . . Are you crying?"

She jumped and turned around. "N-no! I just have something in my eye, that's all," she lied.

You smiled. "Right," you replied. You turned as something moved in the corner of your eye. You faced it and saw a pink fluffy ball with big pink eyes and a tail floating toward you. When you recognized it, you lit up. "R200!" you chirped, hugging him tightly. When your father created R200, you were good friends. It was before you'd gotten Aja and he was technically your first pet.

"New name, new name!" he chanted.

You blinked. "New name?" you asked.

"Masha!" he chirped.

You smiled. "Aw, it suits you well," you said, patting him carefully on the head. He smiled before opening up his mouth wide. As he did, a glimmering gold pendant fell from it. You reflexively reached out and caught it, looking at it curiously. "Eh? What's this?" you asked.

Pudding pounced on you and clung tightly to you, despite your multiple attempts to extricate yourself from her grip. "We want you to become an official member of Tokyo Mew Mew na no da!" she cheered, holding you tight.

You grinned, smiling meekly. "Pudding-chan I have to be alive to be able to join," you breathed.

She released you immediately, as if forgetting she'd been holding you at all. "Sorry," she mumbled shyly. "So will you join?! Please, please, please, please!"

You thought. Becoming a Mew Mew meant working at the café and with it would come a little extra money. You had to admit, you needed all the money you could get. Not only would you finally be able to feed Aja some better suited food for her, but you could pay off some of the bills you still hadn't gotten around to doing and maybe even get yourself a few nice things. And you would be helping people too, you couldn't forget that. You loved helping people. There were no down sides. _Besides, maybe you can finally make some friends,_ you told yourself. You looked up and smiled. "Sure, I'll join."

They cheered, gathering around you. Pudding and Ichigo hugged you tightly, laughing and rambling on about how much fun having you in the group would be. Shirogane stood and disappeared behind the kitchen doors. After a few minutes he reappeared with a white box in his hand tied with orange ribbons. He held it out to you. "This is yours," he said. "You start work here at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

You nodded slowly and took the box from his hands. You looked up at him, frowning quizzically. "Is something the matter, Shirogan-"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted.

You blinked. "Sorry for what? You didn't even do anything," you muttered.

He continued though. "I'm sorry about your parents. And I'm sorry about how my father treated you just because of me. It wasn't right of him," he explained.

You felt your face get a little hot. Why was he being so nice all of a sudden? "Th-that's all right. It wasn't even your fault. Besides, from what I hear your parents didn't survive the fire that happened at your house either."

Shirogane simply sighed.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you! I just meant-"

He looked up at you and smiled, making your heart leap and your mouth immediately shut. "Nah," he said sleepily, making your heart thump. "I'm just tired." He picked up a small backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Then he smiled and took your hand in his. You froze. He smiled at you and leaned in closer to your hand, which was burning in his. You gulped as he slowly pressed his lips onto your fingers. Your pulse raced. Then he let your hand fall limp to your side. He walked toward the door, waved his goodbye to everyone and left. You waited until you could no longer see him, still frozen, to look down at your hand where you could still feel his lips burning through your skin. "Th-that was weird for him, wasn't it?" you stammered.

"Yes. Shirogane-kun has never kissed anymore before," said Mint. She scoffed daintily and glanced to the side. "Well, except Ichigo, of course."

Ichigo fumed and clenched her hand into a fist. "That was only once, and he only did it to piss me off!" she retorted.

Mint rolled her eyes. "Sure it was, Ichigo. I can see right through your excuses, you know. There's no need to be so secretive. You can kiss and tell," she taunted her.

Zakuro turned to you as they continued bickering to each other. "This is normal for those two. Just leave them for a while; they'll notice it's time to leave when everyone's gone. As for us, we all have to work early tomorrow, yourself included. You should go home and get some rest. It's probably been a long day for you," she explained.

You nodded. "Right. Thanks again, everyone!" you called as you reached for the door handle.

"Bye Oneechan!" Pudding sang.

"Goodbye Amaya-san," Lettuce said sweetly.

"I'm not jealous, Ichigo – Bye Amaya-chan!" Minto said.

"There's nothing to be jealous about! Bye Amaya-chan! See you tomorrow!" Ichigo called.

You walked out the door, clutching your pendant tightly in your hand, the box containing your uniform in the other. You began walking down the pathway and paused when you noticed you could still hear Mint and Ichigo's voices: "You know I already like Aoyama-kun!" Ichigo was yelling. Mint replied, "And how will he feel when he figures out about Shirogane-kun?" You smiled. As you walked home, you felt happier than you had in years.


	2. Welcome To Cafe Mew Mew

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Bee-_

You hit the snooze button on your alarm clock faster than you could even blink. You yawned tiredly and rolled over in bed, stretching.

"Arf!" barked Aja.

You sighed and opened your eyes to see your pet fox sitting next to your pillow. "Good morning, Aja-chan," you mumbled. You began to close your eyes again when something caught your eye. You frowned and sat up. "Aja, what's in your mouth? How many times do I have to tell you not to take my stuff?" you muttered. You held out your hand in front of her mouth. Hesitantly, she spit it out and into your hand. You looked down at it. It was a golden pendant with pink patterns. Something about it seemed oddly familiar, but why? You thought.

Then it hit you. You hastily looked at the alarm clock: 9:30am. You gasped. "Shit!" you cursed, shoving the covers back and scurrying out of bed. You were late for your first day of work at the café! Shirogane would kick your butt from here to unemployment! You raced to the bathroom and grabbed your clothes off the floor on the way. Aja watched in quiet confusion. Turning the facet on, you hurried into your jeans and pulled your shirt over your head. You grabbed your toothbrush and put it under the water, squeezed some toothpaste onto it, and put it into your mouth, then grabbed your brush and quickly ran it through your hair a few times, returning to your teeth when you were done. As you pulled on your shoes and spit in the sink, you took one last look at yourself in the mirror. You blinked and froze. A mark had appeared on your left collar bone. It was in the shape of a paw print and was light pink. It undoubtedly had not been there before. You touched it to see if it would make anything happen, but nothing.

"Ah! I don't have time for this!" you wailed, running out the bathroom door. You shoved your jacket on and ran to the door. "Bye Aja-chan, I'll see you tonight!" you called, and off you went before she could even look up.

As you scampered through the door of the café and into the change room, you brushed past Lettuce, who was sweeping the floors before the restaurant opened. "Amaya-chan, goo-"

_SLAM!_ You shut the door to the change room behind you before she could finish her sentence. You rushed to your locker and began pulling your sweater off, whining in frustration when it caught on your head. You didn't even hear the door open as Lettuce came walking in.

"Amaya-chan, what's wrong?" she asked.

You finally pulled the sweater off and looked at her. She blinked back at you. She frowned. You stopped for a moment and thought. This was suspicious. You slowly pivoted toward the clock on the wall behind you. When you saw it, you fumed. 8:25am. Your eyes flamed with rage. "Grrr . . . . AJA-CHAN! THAT WAS SO NOT FUNNY!" you wailed. "Stupid fox, too smart for her own good . . ." you grumbled.

Lettuce looked at you in confusion. She clearly couldn't understand why you were so flustered – which made sense since you were so early. You sighed heavily. "Sorry. I have a pet fox at home and she's too smart for her own good . . . She must have changed the time on my alarm clock so I thought I was late."

She watched you struggle to get your uniform tied at the back and smiled. "Here, let me do that," she offered, taking the ribbons from your hands. You sighed. "Thanks," you muttered.

_CREAAAAK_! You swiveled at the sound, turning to see Shirogane walking through the front door. He wore a light leather jacket and had his nose deep in a bright red file full of important looking papers. You wondered what they were for. "Good morning, Shirogane-kun," Lettuce chirped cheerfully.

His head jerked upward in surprise, as if just realizing his surroundings. He turned his head toward you two and smiled at Lettuce. "Good morning. You're here early." He frowned at you and blinked curiously. You fumed. "What?" you snapped.

He smiled, snickering a little. "Nice hair," he said, walking off. You glanced toward the mirror and blushed. Your hair must have gotten messed up when you were pulling your sweater off. You hurriedly fixed it and whined. "That's embarrassing . . ."

As you fixed your hair, the door creaked again. You turned to see Mint walking in, followed shortly after by Zakuro, then Pudding, then a few minutes later by Ichigo. Eventually they all began setting to work on their morning duties. You fidgeted nervously, not knowing what to do. You hadn`t been given orders to do anything yet. You walked toward the room Shirogane had made way for, searching for a sign of him somewhere. "Um, Shirogane?" you called timidly. No one answered. You kept walking until you reached a staircase leading downward. You peered into it and shuddered. It was completely pitch black and after a few steps, you could see nothing. You definitely were not going down there. _But what if that's where Shirogane went?_ you wondered.

You nervously paced, turning over what to do in your head. You looked around again, your back to the staircase. _He did come this way, didn't he?_ _Maybe he went a different way and I wasn't paying attention. I bet that's it! He couldn't be down there. Who goes into a dark scary basement without turning on the lights?_ you thought to yourself.

"Amaya-san? You called for m-"

You screamed when you felt something on your arm. You clambered to fight off whatever was attacking you, ignoring your logical reasoning telling you it was Shirogane's voice you'd heard. As you struggled, you lost your balance on top of the stairs and began falling toward the floor, you felt yourself land on something supportive behind you. Eyes clamped shut, you swallowed nervously. Slowly, you opened your eyes and relaxed. There were two arms wrapped around you from behind, holding you up. You looked up. It was Shirogane!

You blushed and immediately extricated yourself from his arms. "S-s-sorry! I didn't see you there before so I thought you'd gone a different way! I'm sorry!" you wailed embarrassedly.

He shook his head. "It's all right. What'd you want to ask me?"

You thought for a moment. You'd forgotten . . . "Oh! I wanted to ask you what you wanted me to do. I don't really know my way around here yet . . ."

He pondered it for a few minutes. "Well . . . Akasaka could use some help in the kitchen? How well can you cook?" he asked.

You blinked. You weren't a fancy cook, but you cooked for yourself all the time. You'd never really made desserts though, aside from cookies, and even then you'd gotten help from Nadeshiko-san. "Um, I can cook some, I suppose . . ."

"Perfect," he said, without waiting another minute. He began walking back down the hall where you'd come from. "Follow me. I'll show you to the kitchen and you can get started. Akasaka will tell you what to do from there," he explained.

You followed, hugging yourself shakily. You could still feel his arms around you.

By the time the day was over, you felt like you`d run a marathon across the city. You had never worked so quickly and for such a long period of time on your feet. You were utterly exhausted. You slumped over the table, head resting in your folded arms with a heavy exhale. The others joined you and shared similar sighs, although they were far more accustomed to the constant activity. "Geez, I don't know how you guys do this every day," you muttered.

They grinned. Lettuce put a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry, Amaya-san, you'll get used to it eventually. Just do your best, okay?" she said. You looked up at her and smiled. She made it sound much easier than it really was.

Mint leaned her cheek on her small fist and glanced toward you from the corner of her eye. "It's only your first day, so don't get tired so easily," she said sharply.

You blinked, taken aback by her tone. At first you were angry at her for being so rude, but you quickly cooled down. She had a point. You shouldn't have been complaining, especially when this was only a cover and the real work hadn't even begun yet. Ichigo scolded her for being so mean but you shook your head and smiled weakly. "You're right. I'm sorry," you murmured.

A heavy silence loomed over as you looked down at the table in front of you, your bangs slightly covering your face. The others exchanged awkward glances, Mint fidgeting as she considered apologizing for her rudeness.

Pudding quickly broke the silence. She stood from her chair, making everyone look up at her in confusion. She seemed to be staring at something that had caught her eye. As you followed her gaze out the front window, you saw a small figure getting closer and closer toward the café. You squinted to see closer before finally recognizing it. "Aja-chan?!" you cried.

You ran to the café doors and tore them open, dropping to your knees as the tiny fox ran into your arms. She whined, a high-pitched sound like a door on old hinges. The others quickly joined you.

"What's wrong, Amaya-chan?" Ichigo asked.

You shook your head. "I don't know, she's still panicking too much." You looked down at her. Since you were young, you'd been able to understand and speak to Aja but she was in too much shock to speak right now. However you did notice something in her mouth. Frowning, you held out your hand in front of her. She opened her jaw and into your palm fell your Mew Mew pendant. "Aja-chan?" you asked. "What happened?"

The fox looked up at you, her ears twitching frantically. 'A stranger,' she barked, 'tried to steal it.'

"A stranger?"

"A stranger na no da?" Pudding echoed.

"How do you know it was a stranger, Amaya-chan?" Ichigo asked.

You looked up at her. "Aja-chan told me," you explained.

Mint frowned in disbelief. "I didn't hear her say anything."

"Maybe Amaya-san can understand foxes like Ichigo-san can understand cats," Lettuce suggested.

Ichigo pondered the idea for a moment. "That would mean that Amaya-chan was infused with a fox when her dad tested the project on her. I suppose it makes sense then, if you can understand what she says," she mused.

"What was the description of the stranger?" Zakuro asked.

'Green hair and scary yellow eyes,' Aja whined, 'and big ears like an elf!'

"Sounds like Kisshu!" Ichigo cried after you translated.

You looked up at her. You were unaware of who Kisshu was, but it was obviously someone familiar to them. That meant it must have been someone who frequently caused problems for them. Which also meant it was inevitable that they would cross paths soon.

Sooner than you thought, it seemed.


	3. So Close

Aja's hostile growling made you turn and look up at the sky. Your mouth dropped in surprise. There was a boy, floating in the air as if defying gravity. He had demonic golden eyes and green hair, elfish ears and long fangs just like Aja had described to you. Your mind raced. _What do I do?! He was the one who broke in and tried to take my pendant. He could have hurt Aja!_

Ichigo's venomous glare assured you that this was not a friend. She clasped her own pendant tightly in her hand. "Kisshu! What are you doing breaking into peoples' houses! You thief!"

Kisshu looked down, his yellow eyes meeting yours. A jolt of mindless panic ran through you. Aja's growling intensified. Kisshu smiled a toothy smile and snickered. "You must be my kitty's new friend," he said evilly. "It's unfortunate that I couldn't stop you when I could, but seeing as how I failed to do at least that much, I think a fight to test your skills seems appropriate."

You gulped. He was going to fight you?!

Ichigo stepped in front of you protectively. "You won't hurt her! We'll never allow it."

Kisshu smirked. "We'll see," he said quietly. You watched in quiet confusion as he raised something over his head, shouting something loudly and summoning a bright white light. You squinted to protect your eyes reopened them as the flare died down. You jumped.

In front of you stood three giant monsters.

At least, they looked like monsters. But you knew differently. They were Chimera animals. The others' immediate response was obvious: they immediately called on their powers and transformed. Your mind raced. You should transform too, you told yourself. But you were frozen. You didn't know what to do or say. Your hands shook. You were getting anxious.

You felt someone grab you from behind and almost screamed. You looked over your shoulder frantically as your eyes met a pair of golden yellow ones. Kisshu smirked. "I'm ready for you, so let's go. You'll be my opponent today."

A glint of light caught in your eye, making you notice the knife in his hand. Your mind went blank. All you could focus on was _run_. But you didn't. Instead you began to feel a strange moment of calm and clarity approach your subconscious like a ball of white light. You opened your mouth. Words were coming out.

"Mew Mew Blackberry! Metamorphosis!"

Your fighter instincts kicked in. You mentally scolded yourself for faltering like that. Your father wouldn't have been happy to have seen it.

Kisshu came at you and it looked like he was bringing everything he had. You dodged the knife he thrust at you and ducked, kicking his knees out from behind him. He fell to the ground, but not before grabbing you by the hair and bringing you down with him. You yelped and crashed into the ground with a jarring thump. The world became a blurry collection of black and green.

He grabbed you again, pinning you under him. You forced your eyelids open. His evil laughing face came into vision like the moon emerging from behind a was pointing his knife directly at your throat. If you moved or even breathed too hard it would prick your skin.

"Amaya-san!" Lettuce's voice screamed.

Tears stung your eyes. You had to think of something quick or you'd be dead. Your legs were rendered useless – Kisshu was pinning them down. You couldn't struggle against him or his knife would pierce you. _Think, dammit!_ you thought.

_"Grrrrrr . . ." _

Kisshu looked over to the side. Your eyes did the same, your head unmoving. Aja was snarling at your attacker. Before he could even register a thought, Aja pounced at Kisshu and bared her vicious teeth at his throat. Panicking, he jerked to the side, giving you time to push his knife aside and sit up, kicking him back and off of you. He grunted in pain as he was tossed to the ground. Aja ran to you and stood behind your leg as you rose to your feet, glaring at the evil green-haired boy.

"Amaya-san, we need your help!" the Mews called out.

You looked down at Kisshu on his hands and knees. "I'll finish you some other time," you muttered. You turned and ran toward the others to help them out with the Chimera animals. Aja followed close behind. As you left, you heard his haunting laughter ringing through your ears. You took a short glance behind you – but he was gone.

"Reborn Strawberry Surprise!"

"Now, Amaya-Oneechan!" Pudding said, nudging you in the ribs.

You nodded. You were no longer afraid, you noticed. The freezing fear was gone. It was like you'd been hit by a sudden wave of clarity. The words came to you quicker this time, and more naturally. A fox-headed wand appeared in your hand. You didn't even stop to wonder where it had come from. You were soon spinning it around your head like a baton.

"Reborn Blackberry Trench!" You thrust the head of the wand into the ground and felt an immense amount of power channel itself out of you like an electric current. You struggled to keep hold of it. It felt like a constant static shock.

Then it was over. The Chimera animals were gone and Masha was swallowing the remaining parasites. "Retrieved! Retrieved!" he chanted happily. You felt your hands and legs shaking but the harder you tried to stop it the more you shook. You drew in a shaky breath.

It didn't help though. The world was crashing down around you. Your legs gave out. The darkness grabbed a hold on you and drew you in. You fell to the ground and that was all you remembered.

You awoke groggily in a darkly lit room. Part of you didn't even want to wake up, but you realized it was an unfamiliar room and it drew you to consciousness. You opened your eyes and sat up weakly. You were on a small cot in what looked like a small bedroom. Your jacket was folded up and lain beside you. Aja slept on the hearth of a lit fireplace at the foot of your bed.

"If it weren't for her, you'd probably be dead," a voice from the shadows murmured.

You jumped so high you thought your head might have hit the ceiling. You looked to the right. Shirogane sat on a chair a few feet away from your bed. You took deep breaths to calm your pounding heart. "W-w-what?" you stammered, unable to say anything else.

He grinned. "Your fox. If it weren't for her, you'd probably be dead right now," he repeated. "She's extremely intelligent."

You smiled nervously. "O-oh. Yeah . . . She's my best friend," you admitted. You laughed a little to yourself out loud. "Not like I really have any other friends, but . . ." You reached for your jacket and stood to put it on.

"You keep a knife in your inside jacket pocket," Shirogane said quietly.

You lowered your eyelids for a moment and turned your back toward him as you slipped into your jacket. "I live alone. I walk around the streets alone. I don't like using Aja for protection all the time. I need to protect myself once in a while, too," you said simply. You turned and looked around the room. You needed to change the topic. You were feeling claustrophobic. "So where are we, anyway?"

The diversion worked. Shirogane grinned and the mood was immediately lightened. "The second floor of the café," he replied. "I live here. I've lived here since the fire."

You looked around. Despite the conditions of living in the workplace it was a nice place. There was a shelf full of stacked books on the opposite side of the room next to a big closet, a door leading to a bathroom and even a couch and sitting area. It was basically like the apartment you lived in. "It's nice," you said, still looking around.

He laughed, making you look at him and fidget awkwardly. "What?" you muttered. "Did I say something weird?"

He shook his head and smiled dazzlingly. You felt your heart almost stop as he looked at you, his blue eyes full of cheer. But it was more than that. It was happiness that had fought its way through years of pain. You swallowed the lump in your throat. What was this nausea overcoming you all of a sudden?

"It's nothing," Shirogane said, interrupting your reverie. "You're just strange. I like it."

Your mind raced. _So I _did_ say something weird? Does he think I'm an idiot now? What did I do?!_

His words interrupted your thoughts once more. "Come on," he said. "Let me walk you home."

You began to protest, but it was too late. Shirogane was already standing up and making way for the door. You hurriedly awoke Aja and followed, rushing to catch up.

The walk home was mostly awkward, to you anyway. You kept wondering what to say to him. You felt like you were obliged to make conversation and carry it out but you didn't know where to start. You considered saying something about the weather but immediately disregarded the thought. That was a cliché mistake and would just make things worse. You were so caught up in your social anxieties that you didn't notice Shirogane was already speaking to you until you heard him say your name. You jolted from your inner monologue. "S-sorry, what?"

"I said what school do you go to? Assuming you go to school," he repeated. He seemed very calm and collected. His hands were in his pockets and he looked straight on forward as if nothing in the world bothered him. Standing next to him you felt so small.

"Oh, I go to Kuroda Junior High," you replied. "Do . . . Do you go to school?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm a high school drop-out. I coulda gone back after the fire but it just wasn't worth it. I wanted to spend as much time as I could on my dad's project. Besides, I'm rich enough as it is and I've been declared as a genius of sorts, so I figure I can spare a high school diploma," he explained. "I dropped out my first year. What grade are you in?"

You felt your face get hot. The age gap made you feel almost intimidated. You were like a child next to him. "Um, I'm in the ninth grade," you said meekly. "You're way older than me . . ."

He chuckled. "Only by three years. That's not so bad. But I guess it sorta feels like a lot. Geez, I remember ninth grade. Enjoy it while you can because getting older really sucks," he mused.

You smiled half-heartedly, not knowing what else to say or do. You were nearing your apartment building and part of you was grateful. You were so awful at conversing and you were sure Shirogane could tell. Aja barked and ran ahead toward the apartment doors. The doorman tipped his hat. "Good evening, Aja-chan," he greeted, obviously recognizing her. He opened the door and she cheerfully sauntered in.

Shirogane walked you up to the door and stopped, making you turn to face him. You bowed thankfully. "Thanks for walking me home. And thanks for taking care of me back there. I owe you a lot," you said gratefully.

He watched as you stood up straight and shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry about it. I need you in perfect shape at the café. Sleep well, Amaya-san. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

You nodded and smiled back. "Yeah!" you chirped cheerfully. You were almost about to turn around but you realized Shirogane wasn't leaving. He leaned in, and you almost thought he was going to kiss you, but you told yourself you were overthinking. You stood there, frozen. His hand touched your cheek. He _was_ going to kiss you! Your heart pounded in your chest. You'd never kissed anyone before! What if you did it wrong?!

Eyes clamped shut, your brows furrowed, you stood there in silence, rigidly awaiting his lips to meet yours. But they didn't. Instead you felt his warm lips on your cheek as his sweet breath blew across your face in a gently breeze. Your eyes went wide.

He pulled away almost too quickly. Smiling, he nodded his goodbye and then left. You watched him go for a few seconds and then turned and touched your cheek where his lips had kissed you. You could still feel his heat and smell his breath. _What just happened?!_

You walked up to the door. The doorman nodded to you with a knowing smile. "Good night, Miss Nikini," he said.

You nodded and continued walking through the door. "Y-yeah . . . Good night," you replied in a daze. Aja barked, allowing you to focus on the real world again. You flushed and straightened, then made your way toward your apartment for the night.

You went to bed and could still feel and picture Shirogane being so close.


End file.
